How quality and emotional attachment drive brand equity in higher education?
Thuy Linh Nguyen, Ta Quynh Anh Vu, Cong Duc TranPurpose
This study aims to investigate how perceived quality and reputation shape customer-based brand equity (CBBE), which in turn affects students’ trust, satisfaction and commitment within higher education institutions (HEIs). It also examines the moderating role of brand attachment strength (AS) and how institutional context in an emerging market modifies students’ brand perceptions.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods approach was used. In the initial stage, the quantitative data from 635 students in Ho Chi Minh City were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). A subsequent post-hoc qualitative phase, which involved 29 in-depth interviews, examined multidimensional brand equity and attachment boundary, thereby enabling triangulation of findings.
Findings
The quantitative results reveal that perceived quality exerts a stronger effect on CBBE than reputation. CBBE drives trust, which in turn enhances satisfaction and commitment. Brand AS positively moderates the CBBE-trust relationship but does not moderate the links between perceived quality/reputation and CBBE. The qualitative insights further corroborate these results, highlighting that brand meaning, image and identity are co-created through everyday interactions between students and the institution.
Originality/value
This research contributes to brand management literature by shifting attention from the established dimensional structure of CBBE to the relational processes through which brand equity generates student trust and loyalty. Specifically, the study demonstrates how AS functions as a boundary mechanism shaping the translation of brand equity into trust outcomes. Through post-hoc qualitative analysis, the research further reveals how institutional structures influence these pathways in emerging higher education markets, offering context-sensitive insights beyond conventional brand equity models.